1. Field of the Invention.
The invention described and claimed herein is generally related to lighting fixtures. More particularly, the present invention is related to luminarias.
There is a traditional Hispanic custom, practiced in the State of New Mexico and elsewhere, of placing candles in small paper bags to form decorative outdoor Christmas holiday lights. Such lights are called luminarias, and are occasionally also referred to as farolitos. They are traditionally prepared in substantial numbers, typically a few tens or even a hundred or more, and placed in rows along sidewalks or driveways, where they are lit at night. They are also placed along the edges of rooftops, along porches or balconies, and in various other outdoor locations. A small amount of sand, or a brick, is typically placed in the bottom of each bag, to weight the bag and prevent it from being blown over by the wind. The sand, or brick, also functions as a fireproof support for the candle. The top of the bag is frequently folded over to form a cuff for additional stability.
2. Description Of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97-1.99
In recent years electric luminarias have begun to replace traditional luminarias, for several reasons. First, traditional luminarias, despite the precaution of using sand or bricks to stabilize the bag and support the candle, can occasionally catch fire and thereby form a potential fire hazard, particularly in windy conditions. Also, traditional luminarias require considerable time and effort to prepare and deploy. Each candle must be lit by hand, which is awkward because the candle must be either lit while inside the confines of the bag, or alternatively must be lit while outside the bag and then carefully placed inside the bag. Moreover, each luminaria is typically lit every night over a period of at least several nights during the Christmas holiday season. Finally, a moderate wind or a rainstorm can disturb and extinguish traditional luminarias, necessitating they be manually re-lit during the dark hours of the evening.
The electric luminarias available to date typically consist of strings of spaced electric lights, similar or identical to the commonly available strings of outdoor Christmas lights. The lights are adapted to be placed in either traditional paper bags or special plastic bags or sleeves which are produced for this purpose.
At least one fixture has been previously available in the prior art for supporting electric lights in a paper or plastic bag. This prior art fixture is illustrated in FIG. 7. This prior art fixture suffers from certain disadvantages. For example, it does not allow for uniform illumination of the bag; it does not accommodate lamp sockets of widely varying sizes and shapes; it does not retain the bag in windy conditions; and it is not easily affixed to a supporting surface for stability. Details of the structure and function of this prior art fixture are discussed below in relation to the structure and function of the present invention.